Hello everyone! I have another fabulous Fish Exchange gift to share with you! (Check out Monday's post for information on what a Fish Exchange is). This one is a project that I definitely wanted to make, and has taken quite a bit of time. These are all Luggage Handle Covers. Basically fabric with batting inside and velcro on each end so that you can attach it around the handle of your suitcase.

I don't know about you, but my husband and I have black luggage. It was a lot cheaper than something prettier. The only problem is, when you're waiting for your bag on the carousel it seems like everyone has black luggage and it's difficult to tell yours apart from all the others. And the carousel moves to fast to look at the tag and grab it before running into another person (been there, done that). So just add one of these pretty luggage handle covers around the handle and your bag can easily be spotted mixed in with all those other black bags! Genius I know! I wish I had thought of it on my own, but I found this tutorial HERE for making them.

I bought fat quarters every once and a while until I had enough. The only difference between mine and those in the tutorial is I cut my fabric 5-1/2" x 6-1/2" so that I could get nine pieces out of each fat quarter. Here are all of them ready to be packed in my luggage. There are 48 cabins in the Fish Exchange, so that means LOTS of luggage handle covers!

Here they all are in a space bag ready to be sucked down. Good thing I used it otherwise I wouldn't have had much room for clothes!

And here it is all sucked down. M

I really love the ones I made for me and my husband. I used some leftover fabric from our Fish Extender (see Monday's post) to make ours. I hope everyone else likes them too!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I have another card to share with you today! This is another one that has been lurking around in my pictures folder for a while. I created this with the Mojo 223 sketch. I was too late to get it submitted and just never got around to posting it until now. This card has a lot more layers than I usually use, but it was fun to play along with the sketch!

For this card I started with a piece of Lucky Limeade cut at 4-1/4" x 11" and scored it at 5-1/2". Next I cut a piece of Very Vanilla card stock 1-3/4" x 4" and adhered it at the top of the card front. Then I cut a piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP 3-1/2" x 4" and adhered it onto the card front directly under the Very Vanilla card stock. Next I cut a piece of Pool Party card stock 2" x 3-1/2" and ran it through the Big Shot in the Snow Burst embossing folder. I adhered this piece into the upper left hand corner of the card front.

Now for some ribbon. I wrapped a piece of Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon around the card front and tied it into a bow. Now it was time to play with some punches. Then I cut a piece of Very Vanilla card stock 2-1/4" x 2-1/2" and stamped the greeting from Field Flowers in Lucky Limeade ink. I used a scrap of Calypso Coral card stock with one of the Labels Framelits to cut out a pretty label. Then I adhered the label behind the Very Vanilla card stock with the greeting. I only wanted a little bit of the label to show. I then used Paper Snips to cut away the sides of the label that were sticking out past the Very Vanilla card stock. I added several Rhinestones onto the label and then adhered this panel onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I used the 2-3/8" Scalloped Circle punch on a scrap of Lucky Limeade card stock and then the 1-3/4" Circle punch was used on a scrap of Everyday Enchantment DSP. The DSP circle was adhered onto the Lucky Limeade scalloped circle then I adhered this onto the card front with a Stampin' Dimensional at the top and glue stick on the bottom.

I stamped the image from Fresh Vintage onto a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock in Pool Party ink and punched it out with the 1-3/8" Circle punch. Then I used the smaller Scalloped Circle punch on a scrap of Calypso Coral card stock. I adhered the stamped circle onto the Calypso Coral circle, added several Rhinestones, and adhered this onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

This card is very dimensional and sparkly! A lot more layers that I usually go for, but so much fun to put together! What do you think?

This is a very special project that I originally didn't plan on doing. I had found THIS wristlet on Etsy and pinned it on my Pinterest board for Fish Exchange ideas. It was cute and reminded me of Minnie Mouse. Well Sira, my sister's exchange student, begged me to make her one in a comment. The listing was no longer active on Etsy so I began to figure out how to make it myself.

So after much planning and preparation I created this! Super cute! I just love it so much!

I'm really glad I made a second one for myself! What do you think? It's a bit smaller than the one that was on Etsy, and it's not anywhere near as perfect, but it's still cute and I think Sira will still like it.

While I was at it I also created this cute little headband for the one baby girl in the Fish Exchange. You see, I made candy boxes for an individual gift for everyone in the exchange, but I didn't want to give a 1 year old a piece of candy like that, so I made this instead. I hope she likes it!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Vintage and paper crafting are a hot combination right now,
so why not incorporate that into a birthday celebration? This ensemble is
a great start for a special girl's birthday. The birthday crown would
make any little girl feel special on her big day. There is also a
Memories Book with fold out pages so each party guest can write a special note
to the birthday girl. And a birthday party just isn't complete without
party favors! A pinwheel sets this party favor bag apart, and would
entice anyone to take a peek at the goodies inside. These handmade
vintage birthday pieces will give any birthday party that extra special feel
that all birthday girls deserve!

This beautiful birthday set was created by Carrie! If you have a chance please head on over to Craft Project Central and leave Carrie a comment on her project!

This is the Bonus Project for May. To get the tutorial for this beautiful project just subscribe to the May edition of Craft Project Central and do ONE of the following:

Subscribe to two or more months in a row.

Put the Craft Project Central blikie on your blog.

Refer a friend and let Craft Project Central know when they subscribe

If you would like to subscribe to the May edition of Craft Project Central and get a total of 10 fantastic tutorials for only $10.00 then click HERE!

Good morning! Today I'm going to share with you a very special Disney Mini Photo Album! I made just a few of these for family, and myself. It is a mini photo album that is 6" x 9" and can hold up to seventy photos.

These were a test run for a design that I will be using in an upcoming Craft Project Central tutorial. So check back later this month to get that tutorial!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Today I have some really cute bottle cap magnets to share with you! They are just so darn cute it's ridiculous! I found some pictures of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto online and used My Digital Studio to print them out on Whisper White card stock. Then I punched them out with my 1" Circle Punch and used a bit of Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive to glue them into the bottle caps. Then I covered the image in the bottle caps with Crystal Effects. After the Crystal Effects dried I used E6000 glue to adhere a magnet onto the back of the bottle cap.

So simple! However, I learned one thing. Inkjet printer ink will bleed when you apply too thick a coat of Crystal Effects. I think next time I make these I will coat the front and back of the card stock with Modge Podge before I punch them out. That should prevent the bleeding, or just take more time and add a thinner layer of Crystal Effects. I still think they're cute though!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Good morning everyone! I have another older project to share with you! This picture has been lurking around in my folder since just after the last catalog was released. I just never got around to sharing it with out until now. This card was created for a swap and uses the hostess set Posy Punch. I really like this set because all the flowers coordinate with the Fancy Flower punch. Take a look!

I started this card by cutting a piece of Island Indigo card stock 4-1/4" x 11" and scored it at 5-1/2". Then I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 4" x 5-1/4" and stamped the flower image from Posy Punch all over the card stock in Pool Party ink. I wrapped a piece of Basic Black Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon around the panel and adhered the card stock onto the card front.

Next I cut a piece of Pool Party card stock 2-3/4" x 2-3/4" and ran it through the Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder before adhering it onto a 3" x 3" piece of Basic Black card stock. I adhered this panel directly onto the card front.

I stamped another one of the flower images in Island Indigo ink onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock. I punched this flower out with the Fancy Flower punch and adhered it onto the textured Pool Party card stock with a Stampin' Dimensional.

Now for the greeting! I stamped the Hello image from Posy Punch onto a scrap of Pool Party card stock in Versamark ink, poured Black Embossing Powder over the image, tapped off the excess, and heated it with the heat tool. The image was punched out with the 1" Circle Punch and it was adhered onto the punched flower with a Stampin' Dimensional.

So cute! I just love all the flowers, and Pool Party! You can only get this hostess stamp set until the 31st of May before it's gone forever! Click HERE to start shopping my store now so you can get this wonderful stamp set!

Here is the first gift that I made for the Fish Exchange (more information on that in yesterday's post). I just had to make something that was paper crafted! So I made these adorable Matchboxes. These will have chocolates in them when I deliver them to the rooms!

I used My Digital Studio to create my own DSP by repeatedly pasting the same Mickey outline picture several times in rows across the page. Then I printed it onto sheets of Cherry Cobbler card stock in black ink. I used the Matchbox Die (which is retiring soon) to cut the box bottom and large label from So Saffron card stock, The Cherry Cobbler DSP, and the Whisper White label. I stamped the "just for you" from Teeny Tiny Wishes onto the Whisper White label in Cherry Cobbler ink.

The labels were adhered together and onto the box lid with Anywhere Glue Stick. Then I used my 1" Mickey punch (not Stampin' Up) to punch several Mickey's from black glitter paper (not Stampin' Up). The Mickey heads were adhered onto the box with a Stampin' Dimensional.

I just love how absolutely adorable these little boxes turned out! I hope everyone else in the Fish Exchange does too! The glittery Mickey really makes this project sparkle! Oh I wish Stampin' Up carried more colors of Glimmer Paper!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Do you enjoy wrapping up small gifts in special
packages? If so, this is the box for you! The ornate top box paired
with the beautiful Twitterpated designer paper is the perfect packaging for
that special someone. Adapt the box with other designer papers for great
seasonal packaging too! The end of the school year is quickly approaching
and what teacher wouldn't be impressed with a little something presented in
this special box with the matching card? Substitute the Well Worn
masculine designer paper for male teachers! This project makes for a fun
class, club, or camp project!

This beautiful project was created by Kim! If you have a chance please head on over to Craft Project Central and leave Kim a comment on her project!

To Subscribe to the May edition of Craft Project Central and get this and 9 more tutorials for just $10.00 click HERE!

Good morning! I'm sure you're wondering just what a Fish Extender is. No, it's not something you use when you're fishing. It is something unique to Disney Cruise Line and the guests that set sail on their beautiful ships. Basically each stateroom on the ship has a clip next to the door in the shape of a fish. The cruise line uses the clip to deliver documents and such to the room guests. However, it has a dual purpose.

When you book a Disney Cruise Line vacation you can go to www.disboards.com and find the discussion board for your cruise date. This gives you a chance to chat with people that you will be sailing with. There is also an opportunity to sign up for a Fish Exchange. This is where people sign up and agree to leave a little gift for each other person who signs up. In return they receive a gift from everyone else that signed up for the exchange. The gift can be absolutely anything! It's up to you to decide what to give. Sounds like fun right? I just can't wait!

But to receive the gifts. you have to have something for everyone to leave them in. So you have to have a Fish Extender to hold the gifts. Basically a Fish Extender is 8" x 24" approximately and has pockets for each person in the stateroom and is meant to hang from the fish clip. Does it make sense now? I have seen a few tutorials for creating a Fish Extender with straight pockets, but I really wanted my pockets to have elastic at the top to hold the gifts in well. So here is what I came up with. Please note that I am by no means a seamstress or expert at sewing. Some of the methods I have used may not be "correct", but it's how I managed to sew mine together.

1. I started off by cutting two pieces of fabric and one piece of batting 8" x 24". I layered them with the fabric right sides out and the batting between the fabric and sewed around the edges to hold them together.

2. Next I cut two pieces of my red fabric 8" x 15". Then I lined up my ruler with the top corner and 2-1/2" in from the corner at the bottom and cut. Repeat on the other side.

3. I cut two pieces of my polka dot fabric 10" x 15". For this one I lined up my ruler 1" down from the top corner and 3" in from the side at the bottom. Repeat on the other side.

4. I pinned my pocket pieces together with the red on top, polka dot on bottom, and the right sides facing each other.

5. I sewed a line 1" from the top all the way across.

6. Then I folded the polka dot around so that the wrong sides of the fabric were facing each other, and pressed the top . Here is what it looks like from the back.

And here is what it looks like from the front.

7. Now I took it back to the sewing machine and sewed right along the top edge as close as I could get. This creates the pocket for the elastic to go in. Then I took the fabric back to my cutting mat and trimmed the fabric so that it matched the edges of the polka dot fabric. Just to clean things up a little bit.

8. I took a red marker and put a mark 1" up from the bottom on both of the bottom sides of the piece I put together in Step 1.

9. I lined up the bottom of the pocket with the two 1" marks on the sides and pinned it in place so that the polka dot side was facing up. Then I stitched across the pocket 1/4" from the raw edge. Flip the fabric up and you can start to get an idea of what the finished Fish Extender will look like.

10. I repeated Step 9 to place the other pocket except I put a mark at 8" from the bottom.

11. I didn't get a picture of this step, but I cut two pieces of 5/8" wide elastic 10" long and inserted a piece through each pocket top. Then I pinned the pocket to the side of the Fish Extender lining up the cut edge of the pocket with the edge of the fish extender. When I got up to the elastic I pinned it in place so that approximately 1" was sticking out past the edge. Then I sewed up the sides to close the pockets and I sewed over the elastic portions twice to make sure it was good and strong. Then I just cut off the extra elastic and I was ready for the next step.

12. Next I cut my pieces for the straps. I cut two pieces of my trim fabric 3" x 10". I folded both of them in half with the right side on the inside and sewed the long edge.

13. I turned the straps right side out, and pressed them flat.

14. I pinned one end of the straps onto the back of the Fish Extender at the top and sewed them in place.

15. Now on to making my Bias Tape. You could buy bias tape, but I wanted mine to match my pocket liner pattern, so I just made my own. There may be an easier way to do this, but I didn't find my way too difficult. I cut three pieces of fabric 2" x 36" (or whatever the fabric width is). I folded it in half and pressed all along the strip as shown below:

16. Then I unfolded it and folded the fabric edge in and lined it up with the middle line that I made in Step 15.

19. Then I simply trimmed my strap pieces that I added in Step 14 to the length I needed them. I turned in the raw ends of the fabric, and sewed along the bottom. Then I just sewed them in place onto the front of the Fish Extender. I also sewed on some big black buttons with red embroidery floss just for some added decoration.

20. The hanger piece was just like the straps except I made just one that was 20' long. I turned in the raw ends and just sewed the end to the strap so that the opening was just large enough for the 3/4" dowel rod.

21. Next I decorated the remaining top portion of my Fish Extender. I used a Mickey iron on applique and hand sewed it in place with clear thread. Then I added the letters in rhinestones for "Cruising With Mickey" and "The Corbets". Let me add that the rhinestones were a royal pain in the but to put on! I highly suggest purchasing a personalized iron on from Etsy. It will save you several hours of frustration!

22. For the rod I bought a piece of 3/4" dowel rod and cut it down to 8". I painted it black with acrylic paint. I bought two of the crystal looking drawer pulls from the hardware store and just glued one onto the end of the dowel rod with E6000 glue. Let the glue cure, slit on my handle and Fish Extender, and glued on the other drawer pull with E6000 glue and let the glue cure.

And here is my finished masterpiece! Although it took A LOT longer than I thought it would, I am totally pleased and proud of my Fish Extender! Now, since I signed up for the Fish Exchange months ago I've been working on my gifts. I also have a couple family only gifts that I've made since we will be vacationing on the beautiful Disney Fantasy together. So be prepared for a week full of fun Mickey inspired gifts!

Friday, May 25, 2012

A while ago a wonderful woman, who is now my Downline and friend, came to my home to find out more about Stampin' Up and what it takes to be a demonstrator. So as part of the evening I planned out a couple of projects so she could actually use some of the wonderful things Stampin' Up sells. I wanted to focus on using some of the things that she would be getting in her Stampin' Start order so she would already have ideas for some cards with her new toys. Well this is first one that we created. Sadly this stamp set is retiring so make sure to get it now before it's gone for good!

Stamps: For All You Do

Card Stock: Rich Razzleberry, Marina Mist, Whisper White

DSP: Twitterpated

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Marina Mist, Basic Black

Accessories: None

I started off this card with a 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" piece of Rich Razzleberry card stock that I scored at 4-1/4". I stamped the polka dot image along the right side of the card several times in Basic Black ink.

Next I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 2" x 4". I stamped the stem in Lucky Limeade ink and the flowers in Marina Mist ink. Then I cut a piece of Marina Mist card stock 1-1/2" x 2". I stamped a flower in the background with Marina Mist ink and then the greeting in Basic Black ink.

Both stamped pieces of card stock were adhered onto the card front. Then just to add a little bit of pattern I cut a piece of Twitterpated DSP 1/2" x 5-1/2" and adhered it just to the left of the Whisper White and Marina Mist card stock.

That is it! So fast and easy! Come back tomorrow to see the other project Donna and I made with supplies from the Stampin' Start kit!

To get this card started I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and scored it at 4-1/4". Then I cut a piece of Neutrals DSP 3" x 3" and adhered it onto the top section of the card front.

I cut another piece of Whisper White card stock 1-3/4" x 1-3/4" and stamped the bottom of the cupcake in Marina Mist right in the center. This was adhered onto a 2" x 2" piece of Early Espresso card stock. This panel was adhered in the center of the Neutrals DSP.

Then I punched the cupcake top from Neutrals DSP with the Cupcake Punch. The cupcake top was adhered onto the card front with a Stampin' Dimensional. Now the Red Glimmer Paper was not in the Starter Kit, but I had a scrap of it on my work table so we punched a cherry and added it to the top of the cupcake. Cupcakes are just so much cuter with a cherry on top!

The greeting was stamped onto the bottom portion of the card front in Marina Mist ink. Then I took a craft knife and cut a slit in the fold of the card right where I wanted my ribbon to go. I then threaded my ribbon through the slit, wrapped it around the card front, and tied it into a knot.

Another super simple and easy (and cute) card finished! I don't know which card Donna liked the most, but I do know that she had a great time putting them together!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

For a child, losing their first tooth can be both exciting and scary! And for the parents, it’s another passing moment that signifies that their "baby" is growing up. This Tooth Fairy Door project is intended to help make the arrival of the Tooth Fairy enchanting and memorable for kids and their parents alike!

The Tooth Fairy door sits on the child’s nightstand, alongside the little bed and side table. On the bed the child lays their tooth, and on the side table, they sign a "thank you" card. When they go to sleep, the Tooth Fairy has a way to enter quietly into their room, take the tooth and the card, and in place leaves a little gift of money or a small toy. On her way out, she leaves the door a bit ajar, so there is no mistaking that she has been there!

This cute project was designed by Tara! If you have a chance please head on over to Craft Project Central and leave Tara a comment on her project!

If you would like to subscribe to the May edition of Craft Project Central and get 10 wonderful tutorials for just $10.00 then click HERE!

Good morning everyone! I just want to share with you one more project that my friend and downline Donna and I made a while ago. I wanted to show her one of the easy dies that Stampin' Up sells for the Big Shot. So a Fancy Favor box was in order. Here it is:

I started off by cutting a piece of Island Indigo card stock 6" x 11".

Note: 11" does not cover the entire die cut image. When you place your card stock onto the die make sure that the edge is really close to the blade on the end of the die that does NOT have the tab. This will make your tab a little bit shorter, but you can make it with 8-1/2" x 11" card stock!

I ran my Island Indigo card stock through my Big Shot on the Fancy Favor die with the Premium Crease Pad. Next I stamped the doily image from Hello Doily in Versamark ink, covered the stamped image with White embossing powder, tapped off the excess powder, and heated it with the Heat Tool. Then I used Sticky Strip on the side tab and one of the bottom tabs and formed the box.

Now for the flower! I stamped the image from Mixed Bunch onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock in Lucky Limeade ink. Then I punched out the flower with the coordinating Blossom Punch. I used the Paper Piercer and Mat Pack to pierce a hole in the center of the flower and added an Everyday Enchantment brad. The flower was adhered onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Another fun and fast project done! I really love the doily image embossed on the front of this box! Have you been doing anything fun with the Fancy Favor Die recently?

Today I have a quick and fun tutorial for you. We will be using a Stampin' Up Textured Impressions die with a brayer and ink to ink the...

Disclaimer

The content of this site is my sole responsibility as an Independent Stampin' Up!™ Demonstrator. The use of and the content of the classes, services, or products offered on my blog are not endorsed by Stampin' Up!™.